Janet Sketchley's Blog: Tenacity, page 94
July 23, 2014
Continual Praise
Enter his gates with thanksgiving;
go into his courts with praise.
Give thanks to him and praise his name.
Psalm 100:4, NLT*
The psalms we most often hear in church, and many of our Christian hymns and worship songs, ring with praise and gratitude to God. It’s a big part of how we respond to Him, and rightly so.
That’s how I usually interpret verses like the one above, but this time it reminded me of something else as well. When the Israelites went to the Temple, they brought sacrifices: animals,...
July 21, 2014
Review: Strange Faces, by Linda Hall
Strange Faces, by Linda Hall (Linda Hall, 2014)
It’s been too long since we’ve had fresh fiction from Linda Hall. Strange Faces is a collection of six short stories and a novella. Most are new, with a few reprints from other anthologies. I had read one story before, but happily read it again.
Linda Hall has a gift for evoking memorable characters and situations. Most of these stories are suspense or mystery, with the occasional strand of magic or the unexplained. Because the author weaves a for...
July 18, 2014
Adam’s Animals with VBS
Adam’s Animals – Fun Facts About God’s Creation just released this spring!
Is your church running a Vacation Bible School (VBS) program this summer based on the Weird Animals curriculum?
Consider using Adam’s Animals along with the accompanying craft book, Super Simple Animal Crafts in your Sunday School program leading up VBS. It’s a great resource for your church to generate interest in your summer programs.
Adam’s Animals is an...
July 16, 2014
Kingdom Corners
Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;
he’s the one who will keep you on track.
Don’t assume that you know it all.
Proverbs 3:6-7a, MSG*
In the big things, the scary things, the God-sized things, it’s easy to remember to rely on God’s strength. We pray, we listen, we don’t dare risk moving ahead on our own.
What about the little things? The daily routines, small decisions, mundane chores. They’re the ones we often handle solo, using the skill and common sense that God gave...
July 14, 2014
Review: Majai’s Fury, by Valerie Comer
[image error]Majai’s Fury, by Valerie Comer (GreenWords Media, 2014)
In a culture where the water goddess Majai requires every woman’s firstborn as a sacrifice, Taifa has used forbidden herbs to prevent conception. If she’s discovered—or if she’s labelled barren—her own life could be forfeit. Taifa’s one chance to survive comes in the form of a stranger from another land.
The foreigner Shanh brings a message of doom to Taifa’s people—unless they will renounce Majai and follow the true god, Azhvah. Azhvah’s...
July 11, 2014
Character Interview: Richard Hollis
Jennifer Slattery
Richard Hollis is Ainsley Meadows’ fiancé in Jennifer Slattery‘s new novel, Beyond I Do. After my interview with Ainsley, Richard agreed to say a few words himself. Ordinarily I find different questions for different characters, but I thought it would be interesting to hear what each half of this couple thinks – kind of like a game show. You can read Ainsley’s answers here: Character Interview: Ainsley Meadows.
Janet: Welcome, Richard, and thanks for taking time to join us. Co...
July 9, 2014
A Prayer for Every Day
Finish what you started in me, God.
Your love is eternal—don’t quit on me now.
Psalm 138:8, MSG*
Wouldn’t this be a great prayer to memorize? To print out and stick on the bathroom mirror, on the car dashboard or somewhere else you’d see it every day?
I love the trust in these words. David knows that God has started a work in him.
God has started the work. God has started the work. David can count on it, and so can we, as believers in Jesus.
God’s love is eternal. That includes His patience, His wi...
July 7, 2014
Review: Lion of Babylon, by Davis Bunn
Lion of Babylon, by Davis Bunn (Bethany House Publishers, 2011)
Former special forces operative Marc Royce is drawn back into active duty to find a friend who’s gone missing in Iraq. The problem is, elements of his own government want him to fail.
Marc and a brave Iraqi lawyer named Sameh work with a few trusted contacts in a search for not only the missing US serviceman but four others as well: three Americans and an Iraqi.
I liked the characters, and I enjoyed the taut, fast pace and the detai...
July 4, 2014
Character Interview: Ainsley Meadows
Jennifer Slattery
Ainsley Meadows is the heroine of Jennifer Slattery‘s new novel, Beyond I Do, and she’s here to chat with us before the story begins.
Janet: Welcome, Ainsley, and thanks for taking time to join us. Congratulations on your upcoming wedding! Would you tell us how you met your fiancé?
Ainsley: Thanks! It is pretty exciting, and more than a little stressful, as I’m sure you can imagine. Well, Richard and I have been dating for five years. We met at a mental health conference, actua...
July 2, 2014
The Desires of Our Hearts
For the Lord has chosen Jerusalem;
he has desired it for his home.
Psalm 132:13, NLT*
Remember King David’s plan to build a place of worship for God? This psalm starts there, reminds the people how excited they were to come into God’s presence in celebration, and then it finishes with God.
God chose Israel out of the nations, and He chose where he wanted to “dwell” among them. God, who needs nothing that we can make for Him, wanted to establish His presence with His people.
It makes me think of th...
